Road machine



l July 6, 192s.

" c. H. WELLER m M ROAD MACHEE Film1 April 5, 191% Q a: Ig@ I MU@ 531W@ @f1-w *al im @QJIV )1' i EN @1, In ,w M nl' En: f www/ l i j" @www s E at ATTORNEY July 6 1926 C. H.V WELLR ET lAL.

ROAD MACHINE Filed April 5, 1924 5 Sheetsl-Sheet 2 July 6 1926., 1,591,593

c. H. WEILLER .AL

' ROAD mamma Filed April 5, w24 5 sheetslheet 3 Q. www@ July 6 1926.

1,591,593 c. H, wE-:LLER Er A.

-RO'AD MACHINE Filed April 5, 1924 5 She'ets-Sheet 4 July 6 6;. H. Las' AL l v Y ROAD :MACHINE:

Filed April 5 1924" 5 .shefmmsme s M@ 6WW( I f1/wanton,

55.i the share depressed;

Patented July 6, 1926.

UNITED STATES CHARLES I-I. WELLEB= AND ADAM' BRUNEBE, OEHIGHTSTQWN, NEW'JERSEEI ROAD'. MACHINE:-

vapplicatie;. annil April '5,

Our invention` relates toi improvements.. in machines which are used for finishing roadbedsfor highways, and, theA machine is particularly applicable to the nishingofconcrete or other cementitious roadbeds. The object4 ot the invention is y to4 produce a strong, simple, easily operated machine, which can be used in connection withl standard orother apparatus4 andin4 which a drag suiiiciently flexible to c,ont`or1n.;t,o the roadbed, and sufficiently heavy to make af compact smooth surface, is drawn-` over the top ot the road, and leaves. itn smooth., and- Compact. Thisdragcan be used in connection with. a. concrete mixer or,- the like, or canbe connected to some other fixedfsupport in; the roadbed, and can be drawnhy powerwfrom the advance positionfor frompower installed upon said; drag, so that aait, isy drawn fjor- 1 Ward, it smooths andeiinishesithe road,tr ims theedges, carriesioil the surplus Water-to the sides, and in general; acts-,to do a1 great deal of nishing Work-in a` short` time. The` particular advantages of the structure,Y and the manner inWhichitfis.u'sedandsoperated, Will.l appear more clearly from the description which follows.

Reference is to had-to the accompanying drawings forming apart; of` this specification, in which similar reference characters indicate corresponding parts inallthe views.

. Figure 1 is a planl View. off the machine, showingv the drag and driving means somewhat separated'.

Figure 211s a. similar-view but showing the drag .drawn .up into .close connection With the driving means.

Figure 3f is an enlargedf fragmentary plan of one rear corner portion ot. the machine.l

Figure L1. is a. side elevation. of the. drag.

Figure isarear view. thereof.

Figure 6 isa broken enlarged. rear` eleva-v tion` of; the levelling-shoe which. followsV and isreally aA part of. the drag.

Figure 7is a crosssection,ofithestructure shown` in` Figure 6', with. the web somewhat raised from the body ofstheishoe Figure is.- a. View-..- smilar to1Fignre 'le but@ with the Web and shoe body in closeiconnel f tion.

Figureviis asideselevatigon ofi-'therslflmootllu ingyshoe.`v

Figure 10 1s a4 detail" View show-ing; one; of;v

the shares for: trimming. the roadbedj; with;

1924. Seriaf1`N0..704,401.

Figure 11, is a; View, similar` to lfiglll'` 10 but Withthe sharefraised; l

Figure12isa detail o}the forinof-ratchet which can b e used in connection. withM the meaIlsQr hauling the drager Figure.. 1-3 is auf inverted; plan; of; one section oftheA drag showing the corrugatedshoe thereof, and

Figure lftis a detail sect-ionv showing the conformation of` the.v front section` of," the:n drag bottomand shoe.

rIh'e drawingsare. by Way, of.. example, ,and the detailsof.. the. structure can bedeparted from quite materiallyl Withoutailectinglthe invention. Y

In using the apparatusythe driving mechanism which operatesit is located inE advance off the. mainl bodyA or, drag. of the maline, and this. can, convenientlyl be. a frame, 10

whicht can be. secured. toA a.A concrete mixer or, Y

other substantialv support..v at. a desired` position. on the.` roadbed, andi the,l traine ,isprovided 1 Withl a. Spanner 1l which can Yconvenently have az bodyr 12 of:V channel., ironA with adjustable bracketfarms 13 .at the endstl`1ese;y being capable. of@ sliding; in the, channel,A iron and I being. fastened. by.. means ofbolts @151.1` or the like, which eX-teildthroughithebracket arms'and through some of. the holes 15 f in the bottom ofthe channel iron.; Asthere areal number of. these. holes, ity will. bessen that the lengthotl the Spanner can beregulatedby adjusting the bracket` arms.

The bracket1 arms 13 carry at their,outer ends guide. pulleys I 16,. over;Y which, rnn stl,1e y cable 157 which We. have shown.` as,a,conve1 1 ient means, ofy hauling the body part: or drag oftheapparatus; The cable 1'?"A also runs over guide. pulleys- 18. on*i thei frame 1Ql (see, Figures 1 and-12), andpuljleysror wheels 1.9l can,v bel arranged opposite the pulleys ltoprevent displacement of the, cable; The: cable is. adaptedito be Woundj onbrunwouud', from a mainz drumI 2O 'which is keyed to the. shaft 211v mounted lengitudnally inf the frame-10,. andthsris. provided with.; a 00.11.,@ pulley 22' whichl fr-.itenallr engages .ai 0011.- 9.11.11'er1V 23 0n: the adrvngfshatt 12.5. whihieaibe drien from. any Suitable, wilma-.sirname and.. the

Pulley-2.a aA neared berlina-.et andjfrwardi.

by a\. .f9r12& 'IhiaStrueturfivsadeelibed a auf, Ordinary Cee@ @tutela arid., any. other Suitable C111, h:a;;beesvbst;t11tedi forflt,

Cable. 1117 extends/. @armada and. is Wound 0.11 the. drame-26110111 .the draa29 (See.

ferred form of heavy laminated planks.

Figures 1 and 2), and is then extended forward, and its ends are made fast to a suitable support as for instance the eyes 28 on the spanner 11. then the drum is turned in one. direction, the cable 17 is wound thereon, and drawing from opposite sides of the drag 29 will haul the latter forward over the roadbed until it is close up to the frame as shown in Figure 2. Then when the frame 10 is advanced, the drum 2O is unwound, permitting` the operation to be repeated. This action is facilitated by a suitable ratchet connection between the drums 26 and the shaft 3() on which they are mounted. This shaft can be arranged in any suitable way, and we have shown it supported at the front upper part of the drag` 29.

In Figure 12 is shown a suitable ratchet connection between the shaft 30 and each drum 26. As illustrated, the drum has a ratchet wheel 31 interiorly attached thereto, and this is engaged by spaced pawls 32 which are pivoted on the hub 33 attached to the shaft 30. VThe drag 29 is a heavy body made up preferably in sections 34, 35, 36, and 37, as shown best in Figure 4. Qbviously there may be more or less of these sections, or a single section can be used, but several sections are preferably employed, and they are rather flexibly connected so as i to adapt themselves and fit snugly against the road surface which is being finished. These sections can be made in any suitable way, but we have shown them in the pre- Each section has preferably a dovetail connection with the following` section as shown Y at 38 in Figure 4. The forward Lsection S4 is provided with a shoe 39 which contacts with the road surface, and the following sections have somewhat similar shoes 40. The shoes are preferably made in sections as shown in Figure 13, where the point of connection is illustrated at 41, so as to facilitate their removal in case one part wears out quicker than another. Each section 34,

l 35, etc., of the drag, and the corresponding shoe, has a clearance space 42 at the front edge. which permits the surplus water -`squeezed out of the surface by the heavy drag to flow transversely through these channels thus formed, and be discharged at the sid-es of the road. The shoes 39 and 40 are also preferably made with intersecting "channels 43 (see Figure 13) which gives a smoothing effect on the road.

corrugated surface' adapted to smooth and rub down the top surface of the road under treatment, and permits the water to rise into the channels so that the bottom surfaces of the shoes will have the best grinding and The front section' 34 of the drag is recessed as shown at 44 to provide space for the drums 26 and the gears 79 andSO hereinafter referred to.

At the front end of the drag is an adjustable scraper which is adapted to scoop up and smooth out any surplus material on the road surface, and this has preferably a curved face plate 45 which is backed by a suitable body portion 46, the parts being held together as shown by transverse bolts 47. The lower part of the scraper is pivotally connected by means of brackets 48 with the body of the drag, and the pitch of the scraper is regulated by means of bolts 49 which are provided with suitable nuts, and which extend through the upper part of the face plate 45 and suitable abutineiits on the front end of the drag.

At the front eornei of the drag just behind the scraper, are trimming` shares 50 which are adapted to run along the sides of the road against the foi-mers 5l, which are laid down in the conventional way to des termine the road width, and these shares can be moved downward so as to trim the road to the desired depth, or can be raised as preferred. To this end each has a shank 52 working in guide keepers 53 and The shank can be raised up and down by any suitable means, and we have shown a bellciank 55 pivoted as shown at 56 to each shank, and when the bell-craiik is tilted as in Figure 1l to raise the shank, it can be held by a latch 57. When turned in the. opposite direction the bell crank rests on its short arm, and the share 50 moves in its depressed position.

At the rear corners of the drag are also arranged trimmers which in this case are preferably trimming wheels 58, these being mounted in suitable brackets 59, and they run along and trim the edge of the road. A levelling shoe or follower moves behind the body of the drag as shown in Figures 1, 2 and 4, and gives a final finishing smoothness to the roadbed. rlhis follower has it front edge beveled upward as shown at G1 in Figures 7 to 9, and it is preferably provided with transverse stiifening cleats G2 and a vertically movable longitudinal web 63, this being notched at 64 so that the notches will fit over the cleats 62 when the web is moved downward into close contact with the shoe Y60.V The web is adjustable, and to this end it is straddled by numerous stirrups 65 having flanges 66 at the bottoni which are adapted to abut with the top of the shoe 60, and through which run bolts 67 which are secured in the shoe, and wingnuts 68 fit the bolts or may be used to fasten the web 63 firmly against the'shoe as iii Figure 8.

The web can be removed from the shoe if desired, and the shoe has handles 69 at the ends so that Workmen may take holdV of the handle and move the shoe by hand, and use it as a lever means for special purposes if desired. The shoe or follower 60 is hauled lll) ` 11,591, ses

behind the drag body, and it also has an independent lateral movement. To this end it is flexibly connected with the drag body, and the fiexible connection also makes it act better as a smoothing element in finishing the roadbed. Any connection can be made, but we use links which connect with hooks 71 on the web 6B of the follower', and with hooks 7 2 on the back of the drag. The means illustrated for imparting a lateral movement to the follower include al pitman 73 which is pivoted to the web 68 atone side of the center, and the pitman connects with a crank 74 see Figure 5). The crank has numerous holes 7 5 to receive the pivot bolts 76, so that the throw of the crank vmay be regulated, and the crank isA fast to lthe shaft 78 which is arranged longitudinally on the top. of the drag and can be turned in any convenient way. For instance, as by the meshing gear wheels 79 and 80 which connect it with the transverse shaft 30 above referred to. It will be seen that as .the shaft 78 turns, the pitman 73 will imas the latter is also being' drawn forward as described, it will finish the road very nicely. The shaft 80 can be supported at its rear end in suitable boxes carried by the braces 81 and 82, and we prefer to have the shafts 78 and 30 provided with adjustable boxes 83 which are not shown in detail, but which are well known, and which can be adjusted togive the shafts the proper bearing and support. Ve also prefer to provide the follower 60 with hooks Sli or the like, to which burlap or other' finishing substance can be attached and drawn behind the follower to give a final finish to the road.

It will be noticed that the inclined shoes of the drag sections enable the drag to impinge upon the road with the best effect, and in Figure 14 is shown the preferred conformation of the shoe of the forward section, where it will be noticed that the front portion is inclined upward as shown at a, the middle section is substantially level as at b, and the rear section is in clined downward as shown at c. This conformation applies more particularly to the bed of the shoe at the base of the channels 43, andthe extreme bottom surface is level for the most part, but inclined upward at the front as in the figure referred to.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that it is a simple mattei' to fasten the frame 10 to some support, preferably a concrete mixer, and that the heavy drag when drawn over the mixture forming the roadbed will serve to smooth it perfectly, will scoop ofi" the surplus material, will carry off the surplus water, and will leave the road in a smooth nice condition.

'flexibly connected` and having corrugated shoes and transverse channels.

i. In a road machine the drag lying with its fully weight upon the ground comprising a plurality of sections having corrugated shoes on the bottom, the sections being flexibly united andhaying transverse channels on the bottom at points of intersection, and;

a hinged scraper projecting from. the front end of the drag body.

5. In a road machine, a drag comprising a heavy body portion lying with its full weight on the road bed and having a corrugated road finishing bottom surface with the channels of the corrugations intersected, and trimming devices at the sides of said body portion.

6. In a road machine, a drag comprising a heavy body portion lying with its full weight upon the roadbed having a road fln ishing bottom surface with transverse drainage channels and corrugations discharging into the channels, and trimming devices at the lower corner portions of the body.

7. In a road machine, a drag comprising a heavy body lying with its full weight upon the roadbed and having 'a road finishing bottom surface, an independent smoothing follower flexibly connected to the rear portion of the drag body and arranged to ride on the road surface, and means for imparting lateral movement to said follower independent of the movement of the drag.

8. A road finishing machine comprising a heavy body arranged to 'lie with its full weight upon a road and having closely following sections flexibly connected one behind the other, with transverse drainage channels at the bottom and at the junction of the sections, and with angular corrugations on the bottom yof the sections and cons necting with the aforesaid channels.

9. In a road machine, the combination with the drag adapted to lie on the road sur face, of a smoothing follower behind the drag body, a vertical web adjustably supported'on the follower, a rotary shaft on the drag body, and a crank and pitman connection between lo he aforesaid shoe web and the said shaft.

10. In a road machine, a drag constructed to lie bodily upon the ground comprising a heavy body formed of sections following one behind the other and flexibly connected, said sections having bottom surfaces inclined upward at their forward parts thereby forming transverse channels at the junction of the several sections and corrugations at an angle to and connected with the channels.

l1. A road machine comprising a surtacing drag lying with its full weight upon the ground, a surfacing member movable with and also independently of the drag body, a driving mechanism anchorable in advance of the drag, and means connecting the drag and driving mechanism for hauling the drag and also imparting independent motion to said movable member.

12. A road machine comprising a surfacing drag lying with its full weight upon the ground, a surfacing member movable with and also independently of the drag body, a driving mechanism anchorable in advance of the drag, a cable connection between the drag and driving mechanism for hauling the drag forward, and means connecting the cable mechanism and the independently movable member for imparting motion to the latter.

13. A road machine comprising a surfacing drag, lying with its full weight upon the ground, a driving` mechanism anchorable in advance of the drag, an independently movable surfacing member connected with the drag, a cable drive operating over a drum on the driving mechanism and drums on the drag whereby the drag drums will be turned and the drag hauled forward, and an operative connection between the independently movable member and the drag drums.

In testimony whereof, we have signed our names to this speciiication this 29th day of March, 1924i.

CHARLES H. VVELLER. ADAM W. BRUNER. 

